Be strong
by Little-Firestar84
Summary: What do you do when you are an immortal who just loose your love? You must be strong, for you, him and your friends, who will ever help you. And that's what Methos&Co. are going to do for young Celeste... R&R!


Disclaimer: i unfortunately don't own anything of that. Sort of elseword, set after show finale but with Richie. R&R& tell me what do you think about it. _  
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_Chapter one__: friends will be friends… _

_Paris. Today. Le Blue Bar. _

Late afternoon. At Le Blue Bar, Joe Dawson's bar, a singular group of friends is doing different activities. In fact, while Joe, Richie and the 5000 years old immortal Methos are debating - again – with Joe about Marcus Aedilies, Peter Gaicus, Titus Marconius, the Forum and the vomitorium, Duncan and his long time girlfriend Amanda are… well, Duncan is trying again to have a normal discussion with her, while she is reading a newspaper without listening to him. At one point, Amanda's mobile rings, with a classical tone.

"Amanda Darieux." She answers with a sweet voice. At the other side of the line, she said the voice of an old – literally- friend she doesn't listen from a lot.

_Hey, Amanda, it's me, Celeste. How are you doing?_

"Hey, sweetie, how long! I'm fine, thanks. You all right? You… your voice is so strange… you are crying, aren't you?"

_It's… it's complicated. Listen… you are still in Paris, aren't you?_

"You are in Paris, too?"

_Yes… me and Edmond are back in Paris. We are here from a week. Listen… I need you and Adam here by me right now… Edmond wants to tell Adam Something. And… I'd like to listen to a friend's voice .now more than ever. If I gave you my address, can you please come here immediately? Please…_

"You don't need to ask, you know we are friends. Listen, give me the address, and we'll arrive as soon as possible… ok... I took a note… right, see you later.!"

"Where are we going, Amanda?"

"we two, Duncan, we're going nowhere. Me and Methos, instead, we're going to visit and old,common friend."

"who's happen to be this common friend we're going to visit?" he says waking up from his table and putting on his leather jacket.

"Phoebe Stafford and her husband."

"Never met someone with this name. sorry, Amanda, you're wrong."

"Well, maybe you don't recognize her because she started to use this name only a pair of years ago. I think you'd better recognize her as Celeste McGregor, Callie Raminghton or Carol Senders."

"Celeste is again in troubles?!" he doesn't say it like a question. It's more an affirmation.

"I don't think so. She said Edmond wants to speak with you and she needs me. And she gave me her address. That's all."

"Who are them?" Richie asks.

"Celeste McGregor is a low-profile immortal…but…" Joe says answering to Richie.

"Just because she doesn't like to kill, doesn't mean she has a low profile."

"It seems she has some sort of relation with the oldest man alive…" Joe adds as to finish his sentence.

"They never had any relation, Joe. I can assure you. I know Celeste since the 50's. It's just… you see, Methos was the first to find her when she first died, she was a sort of protégée of his."

"You had a protégée?"

"Celeste isn't my protégée, Mac. A protégée is someone you judge lower than you. I never thought of her that way. Celeste is one of my oldest friends. She is my equal. I ever thought of her that way. I just helped her when she needed. And if I can, I'll help her again. Maybe I didn't accept some choices she did during her life, like the man she married in 1953, Edmond, but we are friends, and friends help each other when they are in troubles, and over all accept each other, without judging. And so, if you'll excuse us, we've a friend who needs us." Methos and Amanda immediately leave the bar, going in direction of his car. Inside, Duncan looks at Joe. He knows him very well… he knows that, if Joe looks worried, it means he is really worried, and that there's something wrong.

"When Methos stopped you, when you were speaking about this Celeste, you told "she is a low-level immortal, but". What's this "but" about, Joe?"

"Celeste McGregor means troubles, Mac. The watchers listed her as a low-profile but the truth is, we don't have a lot of data about her. We were sure she was dead years ago. We never know she met Methos or she used other names like the ones Amanda told before."

"It's not strange. Remember that Methos worked for the Watchers for years, as Adam Pierson, and maybe he worked for them before, too. Maybe he cleared her files or something similar."

"That's not the only thing I'm worried about, for what concerns her."

"So, what?"

"Celeste McGregor was born with a twin sister, Ellen if I'm not wrong… after the death of their parents, they lived together with their dad's brother, a catholic priest, somewhere in the Wild West. Their farm was destroyed by a group of bandits and the 3 of them were killed, on the same day."

"It was the Wild West, Joe. It wasn't uncommon."

"Yeah, but it's uncommon that both the sisters resurrected from death."

"They are both immortals? Is it possible?" Richie says when he listens to what Joe is saying to his mentor.

"It's the only case the watchers know about."

"What's about this twin sister? Where is she now?" Mac asks him.

"This is the bad part. We know they had, at the beginning, the same mentor – and now we know this mentor was our Methos – but at a certain point, Celeste and Ellen's point of view started to be different."

"The point of view about the game, I imagine."

"Yeah. You listened to what Methos said about Celeste. She doesn't kill if she is not forced to. Her Quickenings can be count on the fingers of a single hand, or so we believe. Her sister, instead… let's say she was taken too much inside the Game, so they went separate ways, after the dear Ellen tries to killed her sister and their Mentor."

"And Methos let her live?" Richie asks in shock.

"Methos wasn't killing from a lot of time, guys. He told that to you, too. And Celeste wasn't ready to kill someone… especially her twin sister. And then, I think they believed they were giving her a lesson."

"A lesson she didn't understand, if we understand what you are talking about."

"yeah… in fact, unfortunately for mankind, years later she took a new mentor… does the name Melvin Koren ring any bell?"

"You're kidding me. She was… she was Kronos' protégée?"

"Unfortunately, no. And I heard someone say she was her lover, too. Duncan, this can mean just troubles, because when she'll find – and you can be sure as hell one day or an other she'll find – that her sister's mentor is involved in Kronos' death, she'll come for revenge him. And believe me. She is one of the worst immortals I've ever heard about."

_Half an hour later. Somewhere in Paris…_

Amanda and Methos arrive at Celeste's house. It's an ancient liberty palace, near the Loire. The strange thing is that, despite his size, it seems nobody works or lives here. When they ring the bell, nobody answers. Only some minutes later, they finally sense something. The presence of another immortal. A brunch of seconds later, she finally opens the door. And they immediately recognize her. Phoebe Stafford. Celeste Macgregor. 208 years old immortal, trapped inside the body of a 28 years old. Long Brown hair and eyes, she is wearing a shirt with a black pullover and a pair of black paints. She looks like she is trying to deny the fact that she is crying… and it's not the first time she is crying since he first met her, a long ago.

_Somewhere __, 1827._

He is running away. Away from his troubles. From his past. He is thinking to just one thing, self-preservation. It's what he does best. But then, something happens. He fells something. He feels someone. Someone like him. Adam Benjamin immediately takes his ancient sword, as he get closer to what it last of what it seems like a farm. Once inside, the feelings gets stronger. Than, he understands why. In one room, a man, a priest, a catholic one, he heard he was a certain Father Jacob, and, in the kitchen, two girls, twin sister. They are not awake, yet. But he now they'll eventually be, because, notwithstanding the size of their injuries, they'll recover. Because they are immortals. The both of them.

When they wake up, they are in their room. And they get frightened by the strange feeling they are having. He immediately reassures them, he teaches them everything they'll ever need to know. About what they are….Immortals…about the game… about life… he teaches them how to fight, and, over all, how to survive. For months. But something goes wrong. Because if one of the twin, Celeste, it's okay with her new life and with the idea of "self-defense", her twin sister Ellen decides that the game is the most important thing in the life of an immortal. And for the game she is ready to kill not only her mentor… but her sister, too. The night she attacks them, she first tries for the head of her sister. Not only she fails, but Adam – as he told them his name was – awakes, ready to stop her. And it could be a definitive stop, if Celeste doesn't stop him, asking him to let his sister live, certain she'll understand what's important and what's not. He accepted, and, instead of taking her head, he just fires a bullet in her heart, killing her immediately. And immediately, he orders to Celeste to leave the place… and her sister, as well.

In the following months, they travel across the whole country portraying Adam and Celeste Benjamin, a married couple. He never leaves her. He thinks that, if Ellen comes back, Celeste will not be able to do something. To took her twin sister's life away. And so, he makes her stronger. Fearless. He teaches her everything he know. And, at the first opportunity, they take a ship, and leave the USA for Europe, where he hopes she will be safe until she will be ready for the game. Still now, after 180 years, he still remembers everything about their voyage. About how he, and over all she, feels. He decides it was the best choice to take just a room for the both of them. He doesn't have nothing in mind. She is just like a little sister, a child for him. But everyone believes they are married, and so they have to act.

"I'll… I'll sleep in the bathroom, if you need me. Good night" he says going to sleep in the white porcelain bathtub. She doesn't sleep to much pro night. She almost spends her time reading and writing and, during the day, when she is not secretly improving her immortal skills, she plays her violin. The only thing that remains from her past…the only thing she saved from the farm.

Before the voyage finishes, they get closer. Not physically, not romantically. They don't get involved this way. They tell each other everything. Every secret, every fear. Every fragment of their past. He is reluctant, at the beginning, but, like she teaches him, as so many others will do in the future, friends help each other when they are in troubles, and over all accept each other, without judging.

_Paris. Now. _

Amanda and Methos hug the "young" immortal, and look in her face. Although she died for the first time when she was just 28, she looks now older. Her expressions. Her moods. Her feelings. Methos knows her very well. He knows that last time he saw her that way was when her twin sister tried to kill her for the first, but not last, time. He immediately understands something is wrong, as previously Amanda did on the phone.

"You all right, kid? Troubles with your little sis?" he says as she walks them trough the big, almost empty, house.

"This time it's not her, for God's sake. It's more... personal. Edmond asked me to call you. He needs to speak with you by now. First room on the right, upstairs."

"Any idea what he wants?"

"I can't tell you anything… go and you'll see"

As he reaches the stairs, Amanda and Celeste sit in the living room, on a white leather sofa. Amanda looks at her, and her mind flies at the day she met Celeste from the very first time.

_Marseille__, 1949._

His name is again Benjamin Adams. He is a 30 years old doctor from England, a man with a lot of talents. He lives in a small apartment on the seaside, in a zone full of life. He doesn't expect one of his oldest friends to knock at his door at 3 in the morning.

"Who the hell…" he mentally says as he senses an immortal.

"Relax, it' just me, Amanda. I need a little help…."

He takes his sword away and opens the door. A black haired woman, in her 30, enters running.

"What do you mean I need help? What did you do this time?"

"Well, I need you… to cover my alibi and took something for me for few days."

"You stole something, again?" he says to her, shocked.

"As you don't know me, Methos. You know it's my life. My job."

"Find an other one. As soon as possible."

"Your words of wisdom. "

"I've only been alive for 5000 years…what would I know about life?"

Well, if he didn't expect one of his friends to knock at his door at 3 am, He doesn't expect a second one who rings the bell now.

"We've got company." He tells her, as he opens, reluctant, sword in his fist like Amanda, the door, just to find it's not an enemy he is speaking with… but an old friend.

"Celeste? What are you doing here? What… what happened to your right harm?"

"Nothing serious, really. I was here in vacation when someone … well, a male immortal who looked like a 30 years old, attacked me. So I had to fight, you know, to protect my life…and, during the fight, I got these beautiful injuries… nice, eh?"

"Where is him?"

"when it comes to self-preservation, you know what I do…"

"Yeah, if you have to fight, you do. so you took his head, eh? What are you doing here?"

"Did you see how my harm is? I can't come back at my hotel by now… I'll took just less than an hour to fully recover, and then I'll disappear. I swear."

"Good girls don't swear."

"Never said I'm a good girl"

"Mind to introduce your new girlfriend?"

"sorry to delude you, but she is not my girlfriend. never been and will never be. "

"Yeah, like he always says, he got married 68 times, never to one of us, because… because…what the exact words are ? it must be something like "it's too much of a commitment for me to make", right?"

"Very funny" he says sarcastically.

"You can't say she is wrong. She is telling the truth. By the way, since he is not goin to introduce the two of us… I'm Amanda Darieux. "

"I'm Celeste Macgregor, nice to meet you."

"Me too."

_Paris, now. _

Methos reaches the room Celeste told him to ho. When he enters, he understands why Edmond wants to speaks with him. Because he is seeing an 80 years old (or maybe older) man in his bed, alone, who just survives thanks to machines and drugs. And he feels he is going to die, more sooner than later. Edmond wakes up and looks in direction of the open door. He just tells a name with a thread of voice in the man's direction.

"ADAM?"

"Yeah, it's… it's me, Ed. Celeste told me you wanted to see me, but honestly, I can't understand. I mean, I thought you hated me for what I said when you were going to marry her…"

_Chapter two: __somebody to love_

_Paris, 1953._

"I never thought to you like a Moulin Rouge kind of men, you know? – She approaches him at the table in the centre of the hall. It's almost 11 pm. Paris' street are full of life, and he is determinate to live a bit of the passion of this beautiful city. – oh, wait, you're a male, you always came in place like that."

"Just because I'm that old, doesn't mean I'm an opera guy. But, since I'm here, I think it will be a great damage if I have a taste of the passion of Paris, also I'd prefer to be in an other place. I mean...Paris is too full of Parisians. Even the French don't like Paris. By the way, this isn't the right place for a good girl like you, too."

"I'm not a good girl. I can't understand why everybody believe I'm a saint.."

"Probably because you grown up with a catholic priest. And if you're not a good girl as you continue to tell me, why , it took you so many years to lost your virginity?"

She is dressed in a long black satin dress, her hair are longer and curled. She has a bit of make up, while he is wearing a shirt and coat on a pair of pants.

"Very funny, Mr. I can't keep it in my pants."

"You know, you are right. You are not a good girl. You are evil and malicious. Amanda was your ruin. And, by the way, I can't be able to "keep it in my paints", like you said, but I've got an ethic code. I never get involved in married couples. No more, at least."

"Yeah, yeah, I know your sad story. By I need you to focus on something important now."

"I hope it's really important, because if I left Katmandu for nothing, you're gonna pay me fort his."

"I need your… approval, sort of."

"you need what?"

"Your approval. Well, it's not exactly your approval, I need. let's say I need to inform you of something I believe you could be… happy about. Also if "happy" is a big word, for you."

"what's going on in this little evil brain of you?"

" See, the fact is, I'm dating someone. And… he wants to…to marry me."

"Are you really considering to marry a men you met what, 3 days ago?"

"it's a bit more of 3 days… it's almost an year. You're my teacher, my best friend. And, over all, the reason I'm still alive. So I think it was the best thing inform you for first."

"You know what it means, to marry a mortal, right?"

"Sure I know. I'm ready to face the consequences."

"Celeste or whatever your name now is, one day he'll se you are not getting older, and…"

"He knows. He knows I'm an immortal. I told him. I wanted to be honest, because I never met someone like him. He is the right one, I know."

"yeah, but for how long?"

"You get married 68 times, did you questioned yourself each time? Really? Or are you just sabotaging me for your only God knows reasons?"

"I don't wont to sabotage your wedding, I just want you to be prepared for what will come. Because he is a mortal, he will get older and die… while you will be forever young and live for centuries. "

"I know. I'm ready, I told you."

"I'm not sure. But if you want to try, try, at least. I'm not going to stop you."

_Paris, now. _

"I don't hate you. When we first met – ha said with low voice – I knew she would always have a strong bound with you… and I accepted it. I accepted the fact she wasn't going to be mine… only mine, because a part of her heart was still and always will be with you. She will always love you. I don't know if she loves you romantically… if she desires you…. But I know she is yours. I understood everything when you said you never had stories with women of your kind. So she stopped to desire you, and she choose me as a replacement. I don't care. I didn't care. Because she wasn't with you, and I was just happy for this. But now… she must be strong, and I don't know if she is ready. She stayed with me for so many years, doing so many things… she moves from a place to an other every 5-6 years, changing name, identity…I don't know if she is ready to let me go, but I know it's time. So please, take care of her as you did in the past, don't let her do something stupid."

"Like let someone took her head?"

"Something like that, yes. Will you help me?"

"She is like a member of the family. I'm kind of fond of the little vixen myself,too. Of course I'll help you."

"Thanks Adam. Now please call my wife and stay with us… I feel it's coming for me."

"The name's Methos, Ed. My real name's Methos."

_Chapter t__hree: let me live _

_Paris, now. _

Her actual name is Phoebe Stefford. She was many things before that. She hopes this name is the last. Because, although she is something like 200 years old, she felt in love just once in her life. His name was Edmond. She met him in Marseille, when she was 50 years younger. He was young. Fascinating. He was arrogant, too, at fist sight, but, in deep, he was a good man. One of the few she met in her life. In less than 2 months after she started to date him, she understood she was in love with him. When, months later, she confessed him she was an immortal – after he saw a grave injure disappear from her body from a second to an other – she understood he loved her, too. That he was the right one. And she decided to accept to marry him. She never felt really happy, during the years of marriage. Nor entirely happy, to be more accurate. They spend more than 50 years moving from a city to an other one. Changing names. Changing the roles in the family. She has been his wife…. His little sister… his daughter… his grand-daughter, too. And they never had kids. She'll never have kids, neither from him nor from an other one.

And now….

Now is all gone. All finished. Because Edmond is dead, buried in a cemetery in Paris, and she can't help but spend her time between his grave and what it was their first and last home. She doesn't cry. She promised him to be strong. Not to cry. But the fact that her eyes aren't crying doesn't mean her heart is doing the same thing, too. And, for the very first time in her long, unnatural life, she understands she was wrong. She keeps telling she knew the consequences of her actions. That she was ready to face them. But now she understands she was wrong… because she wants just one thing. She wants just to die. And, when she leaves the cemetery, she finds that, maybe, someone is listening to her hopes, because she immediately feels the presence of one of her kind. She turns her head in every direction, hoping to see something, not knowing what exactly she wants to see. She just doesn't want to see Methos or Amanda. They are her friends, it's true, but right now she doesn't need their compassion. Especially not Methos' one. She is tired of listen to him who keeps to repeat that he understands how she feels and etc. etc. And, when she turns on her right, it's not definitely nor him or her she is seeing. She doesn't know him. Physically, he seems something like 30-35, a bit older than her mentor who died when he was 28. Tall, long, curly red hair. He looks like a wardrobe, at seems to have his propriety of language, too, since he just tells her

" Here for you. Fight." Showing her he is indicating her with his sword.

"It seems your mum didn't tell you how to impress a lady" She replies to him, with an evil smile on her face. She thinks about his accent; he speaks in English with her, not so bad, but only a fool would think to him as a native speaker. He is French; she is sure, probably from the South…

"Don't say a word about my mama!" he replies angry attacking her.

"Use a bad language worked in the 80's, today you must do something more to have something from a girl."

She tries to appear secure, but she is a little scared. The guy is bad and enormous. And she doesn't forget the fact that it's a long time from the last time she truly battled someone. At least, in a real fight. She tries her best to appear secure of herself… and took her sword, very similar at the one D'Artagnan used at his time, well, at the one D'Artagnan would have used at his time, if he would have been a real person and a not a book character.

When he sees the sword, he immediately confronts her, face to face, with tenacity and brute force. Something she hasn't. more blows he gives her, the lesser she is able to confront him, and, after what it seems like an eternal battle, a battle who lasts for almost 15 minutes, he finally see her on her knees, with a sword at her neck.

"May I know who is gonna kill me?"

"don't interfere. Don't important."

"In my shoes, you would know who's gonna put an end to your life."

"Don't think so. Shut up."

He is so taken in the incoming Quickening, that, although the both of them feel the presence of an other one of their own, he doesn't put too much attention at the danger. He even doesn't notice the bullets who are fired directly to his heart and his head, "killing" him immediately, before he is able to put a definitive end to her life. The strange thing is, she doesn't know to be happy about this or not.

"it's time we two exchange two words." Her savior only tells her hiding his gun.

"Great. Now I'm really in troubles."

"it's not funny, I'm serious. Follow me. Without to protest."

_Later. At Le Blue Bar._

"I can't believe you're so… you know, stupid it's the nicest thing that comes across my mind."

Methos enters in one of his best friends' bar followed by the immortal girl. The local is still empty: inside, there are only his friends.

"he is always so cute with everybody…" Duncan tells at low voice, with a sarcastic smile, drinking his black coffee.

"I can do cute, if it's the case, but this isn't the case ! - he shouts at her hungry – sit down!"

"Don't you dare to give me orders! Probably you think you are still living in the Bronze Age, but, the news is, also if I'm a woman, I've a free will."

"Your free will is cancelled until you'll understood what are you doing, and, over all, what you did!"

Celeste decides to do as he tells her, and sat, annoyed and angry, at the same table of the others, near Amanda, and orders the only alcholic thing she drinks: a so colled "Wisky on the rocks", or, simplier, a glass of wisky with ice.

"What did this daddy's girl do to make him so hungry?" she asks her almost laughing.

"Nothing, I…"

"Almost get killed is nothing?!"

"Simon Chevallier? I've been informed he was in town in search of someone… and a friend of mine just called to tell me someone fired him at the head and heart. Did you "

"It was me, Joe, because it happens that this girl stopped to fight and was letting him kill her."

"He was 3 times me! I didn't do it intentionally!"

"I know what I saw, and I know you! You stopped to fight! Just because your husband is dead, doesn't mean…"

"Don't dare to say anything to me! You can't understand what…" She wakes up from her chair and goes in front of him, shouting and pointing at the man who raised her. But then, she stops, because for a while she comes to her mind again, and her mind tells her that he knows how it feels, he knows it too well.

"Let's finish the sentence. Tell me that I can't understand you. That I don't know what it feels to loose someone you love… someone mortal. Continue to tell me that I'm a narcissist with a too big ego and that I'm feeling less. What are you waiting for? Don't you want to continue?" he says to her, with a tone of voice non only full or rage, but of sarcasm, too.

"Methos, I don't think is such a good idea. You are…"

"Duncan, shout up. She needs to know. She must understand that she isn't the only one in this situation. All of us lost someone important, someone mortal, in our lives. It's hard, ever. It's doesn't matter how much time you spend with them… it's the quality, what you have in your heart that matter. I know – he said looking again at her, with a sweet voice, who is now crying, I know he was the first real love of your life, and that maybe I never truly understood you or your nature, but you loved him so much… you still love him. I understand you, Celeste, we all did, mortals and immortals, we all lost someone along the road. It happens. But you must be strong. For you. For him. Even for me and Amanda. We need you, you are our friend."

"I… I don't know what to do…." Celeste finally tears, for the first time after Edmond's death.

"Do what we did after Ellen. Leave Paris. It's not necessary that you leave it forever. Just… stay for a while somewhere you never have been. Somewhere that doesn't remember you of him. That's all."

"I…."

"He wanted you to live, to go on. You must be strong. For you, for him, and us. It will be hard, but one day, you'll find that force inside yourself."


End file.
